Is that a word? Awesomist? If it is, it is probably spelled wrong and if not should definitely become a word.
Anyway, off I trotted to the pool this morning (I was a day late, because I had a stupid ridiculous early flight to Wellington on Thursday, lets just say I wasn’t getting up at midnight to get the swim in). I decided to do one of my more favorite sessions on the level 2 pro gramme and off I went.
The technique was perfect (ok, a little too much), I was feeling the water awesomely, water was whizzing by and I was on form, the hard laps where stylish. I even did a little bit more because I was feeling so much better. The guy in the lane with me, said I made it look easy… well of course I did! It was easy! 
This weekend, as its school holidays and Eamon can get some time off and I just need a break from work, we decided to take a extended weekend and go see the parentals in Tekapo. Whats the bet that the one weekend I disappear from chch, that the sun decides to shine. So might get to play in some snow over the weekend. Mum said we could go skiing… No, I said. One of my work mates completely torn the ligaments in his knee due to skiing. Lets just say that kind of injury is not in my plans for the future.
Some snow tubing or hot pools in the snow maybe… I’ll take the bike with me, but if the roads are a bit dodgy I’ll just run (I am on a recovery week, so not all that much training required).
OMG.. these days I am so hungry. It not just, “I am bored/emotional and I’ll think I’ll eat something now”. Its “my god my stomach feels like it is going to eat itself”. I am trying to be good, ie eat that apple, but it doesn’t seem to help much, where as a nice tasty muffin is just so filling.
Can’t work out why… ok so training is up a couple of hours a week, but really??
So todays ride was a 3hr “long hills” ride. I had a really cool ride planned. Up dyers pass, down to govenors, turn right and head to Gebbies, up Gebbies, Coopers along the summit. Then depending on time continue along the summit to evans.
But the weather forecast, included gusting southerlies and snow on the hills. I didn’t really want to be caught on the summit with strong winds or anywhere on the other side in a down poor. (yes I am a whimp when it comes to “what if” scenarios).
Sitting on the wind trainer for 2hrs doesn’t appeal either. I would rather face any sort of weather than that. So in the end, I decided it would be best to stay to this side of the hills, that way I could descend quickly if it turned really bad. As the only Long hill that truly exists on this side is Mt Pleasant, I decided to do 2 laps, climbing Mt Pleasant twice.
Lets just say when I got to the top of Mt Pleasant the first time, I thought “blah doing that again.” So decided to descend back the way I came instead and headed up Evans back up to Mt pleasant. Its been a while since I did Evans from Sumner. Its still a killer, but I can do it without going anerobic.
I thought this ride might be a little short of the 3hrs but turned out to be exactly 3hrs by the time I got home.
The weather wasn’t actually that bad, I would have survived on the original course. Oh well, its nice to know I can still do a alternative course when the weather is shite.
ps person in charge of weather, I didn’t see any sun while training this weekend. Please next weekend a little sun would be nice
So I opened the curtains this morning and the sun was shinning and there wasn’t even frost on the ground. I clap my hands in glee and get myself ready for my run with enthusiasm. The person in charge of the weather, had listened to my last post request and bought out the sunshine.
I don’t worry about a jacket or hat, after all its a fine day and make my way to the hills. Now form my house I can see what the weather is like coming form the mountains but can’t see the weather from the hills. But I just assume it will be just as fine.
But groan I get on to Barrington see the hills and they are shrouded in clouds. Oh I could change plans and run on the flat. No! it a hill run today, so a hill run it will be!
I hope I am not going to die of exposure and set off (I threw the jacket I was wearing in my backpack just in case). The sun almost came out once but other than that it was very blustery in places along the summit and just plain cold.
J: “Do you still want to do the marathon?”
N: “Can’t say I have any enthusiasm for it anymore”
J: “Lets just stick to 5 passes then, as it is more important for Wanaka”
N: “Ok, oh feel so much better now that I don’t have to run a marathon “
That is pretty much how the email converstation went with Jo yesterday. So no marathon any more, I think I might have got a little bit cuaght up in havign to do one even after my injury… ridiculous!
Oh but I don’t get to slack of at all in the running department. I still got the Able Tasman Classic to do in September. And maybe a half marathon somewhere.
Anyway Jo sent through the next six weeks… phew, I might have mentioned I get better when the body is made to work harder over a long period of time, but man it is still the middle of winter. Oh crap I am going to be in the cold and dark for the next 2 months, live with it! She did ask if there was anything I wanted to change in next program, I did mention that I was worried I wasn’t swimming enough. She certainly took that to heart, 2-3 sessions a week! Ahh live with it!
Big training weekend, this weekend and the weather doesn’t look like it going to be all that great. Would like some sunshine please God, or whoever is in charge of weather.
The dream house auction is coming up next Wednesday. Unfortunately, there was a LIM made us aware of a slight problem. It might not be a biggy, but it might effect the amount we are willing to go to . But then it might do the same for everyone else. But I have made myslef a deal, if we loose at Auction, I get to by myselft a new bike . If we win, we’ll be broke so don’t get to buy myself the new bike 
. (ps I haven’t told Eamon, so quiet please)
Lets just say I’ll be a happy chappy… with the new house or the new bike.
These days it seems like you could almost go through the airport without getting help from anyone. Soon I am sure they will get rid of the pilots… I am sure all you need is a remote control.
And stewards and just have these little robotic screens on wheels. With “Please select what you would like a: vege crips b: cookie c: lollies”. But if you accidentally select the wrong option then be warned you will either be stuck with it, or you’ll have to restart the whole process all over again.
Well to say I don’t sometimes enjoy the new self serve check in would be a lie. It is efficient and fast. But really what were the designers thinking! You check in it asks in a something about having dangerous goods. You select the wrong answer, because it was worded the wrong way around and you really aren’t paying attention. Then the system boots you out. You have to find some one to help you and then you have to end up going through the whole thing again.
But really my worse bug bear in the self service department is the dam parking pay machines. Theres a long line to them. 2 of them are not accepting eftpos or credit cards. There is no one around to help. Theres nothing, what happens if the other 2 don’t work are we going to be stuck in the car park all night? Do I have to walk all the way back to the airport find a ATM and get the cash. But then if that is to happen, the machine probably broken and want accept the cash.
I figured it out! On my just above freezing ride today, I work it out. It has been the secret strategy that is so secret that I didn’t even tell myself.
Its the stratgey of carrying a additional 10kg. You see this means I just improve my strength work outs. I have built these strong muscles to carry the extra weight. So the will be super efficient without it. Plus there is the insulation benefits to winter. It will keep toasty warm over the winter.
Now this obviously means that this strategy requires me to shed these kilos about September. Now I haven’t yet been able to devise what my plan for this is. But I am sure I shall tell myself when required.
brrrrrrrrrrrr
So had a 3hr hill ride to do today. When I woke up and look outside there was a white icing covering everything, and it was a bit foggy. Oh well give it a hour and hopefully the sun will burn of the fog and once it hits the frost will warm up nicely. Unfortunately the sun never managed to burn anything off. It turned 9:30. Couldn’t wait any longer (trouble with house looking you need to be available from 1 on Sunday to see open homes. Damn frustrating) so I decided to add a another layer. That meant I had 1 thermatech Merino mix tank, + katmandu merino t-shirt, + cycle Jersey, + arm wamers, + wind breaker, + woolen gloves over standard gloves, + leg warmers, + ice breaker socks, + booties, + beanie. Jeez I am amazed I can move, just the dressing time involved is ridiculous. My eyes were cold and frozen when I started out, kept on watering. But the rest of me was fairly toasty under the load of garments.
grrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Grit! Is it really good for anything? I just find it dangerous and scary. I went up dyers and headed to Coopers. There wasn’t much but the grit was there. And in the corners. There’s a lot of switch backs down coopers, I was on the breaks and going slow the whole way down.
By then I had removed the woolen gloves, but I should have put them back on for the decent. My fingers were frozen solid by the end. I was briefly hoping that the sun would make its way from beyond the cloud. But I was sadly mistaken.
In a interesting side point
Yesterday on a photograph of the duathlon I noticed my seat looked to low. I look and I think it must have been gradually falling for ages. It was almost 1.5inches lower. Anyway it felt strange but much better to get the seat back to its proper height. But strangely the last few months I haven’t suffered from a sore back, but today the back started to get sore again. So maybe when I am planning to do a hill climb I need to lower the seat a bit.
Oh thats a programmer heading…
On a side note: I am kinda sad Micheal Jackson is dead. They are playing his video hits on c4 right at this moment. Its a sound track to my entire life. No matter what the rest of his life was, he was a really awesome pop entertainer ( and this from someone who really doesn’t like pop that much)
Ok back to the topic at hand. Me and winter and racing don’t mix well. Me and races under 1 hr don’t really work either. So why was I there this morning to do the Duathlon. I have no idea, Jo told me to and because I am a good girl and have supreme faith in her, I did what she said
It was very frosty cold this morning and there was cloud cover so the sun didn’t get a chance to poke its head out and warm things up a bit. I kinda warmed up, I did a lap of the track, about 30min before the start. In reality I should really have done at least a 5 min run just before the start.
When the start gun went off (umm don’t think there was actually a gun) , and the first 30 sec I was feeling awesome, ok I might have hit the accelrator a little to hard, but was feeling good. Then the icy cold air hit my lungs and my lungs shut down. They did not like the situation at all. Ok so that made me slow down a little bit, get a bit of breath in the lungs etc. So that was what the first 2 laps invloved not going so hard that I couldn’t get air in. ( had taken my inhaler 10min before the race, but didn’t help that much). The 3rd lap I had finally got a bit warmed up, I still wasn’t feeling much of the thing (actually was about to throw up) but at least I could breath.
Came into transition. (I wasn’t very organised for this race. I turned up at tranistion before the race and thought, I should have put elasic laces on the shoes. Didn’t even have aero bars on the bike). And took my time taking the shoes of (after all I had to put them back on soon, so couldn’t just throw them out). I noticed Nades had come in about 20 secs behind me. She almost past me by having a awesomly fast tranistion.
Anyway I eventually got on the bike, and phew I could relax for a bit… well kind of, I am so much more comfortable on a bike. I took my time and eventually picked of a couple of the other females competitior (yes I knew a few would still pass me on the last run… but I can pick up alot of time on that bike)
Looked down at my watch on about the 4th lap and it said 32min. I wondered if it had stopped, cause that didn’t sound right. But maybe I just read it wrong because at near end of the 5th lap it was at about 42 min. Got off my bike and my legs were like jelly. Its been about 3months since I ran of the bike and it showed. Anyway stumbled my way around the last run and finished at about 57min.
You can never take it easy in a race like this. Push the envelope the entire way. But I did kind of enjoy it. Found it was fairly well run.
The Trails shoes just been used
For the first time in a few months, I bravely put the trail shoes on and headed out for a off road run.
But where to run? That is the question. I didn’t want to go somewhere too technical. That rules out the Crater Rim. I could do Rapaki, but thats a hill and this is a easy week. I could go up Harry Ell, but that would only take me 40min and I supposed to do 90min. I am not going to do Burwood Forest, because it is just EVIL!.
That leave Mcleans Island track. Ok, no probs with that, won’t take 90 min, but can add do a bit of loopy loop somewhere. So off I head. I was being rather paranoid, carefully put the feet down, always looking, taking the long cut, because that bit looks a bit dodgy.
But man I felt like crap. I had no energy, I could run and keep running, but I was not going anywhere fast, the legs felt heavy. It had nothing to do with the terrain. Unfortunatly it rather dimmed my joy of being on the trail again.
But the ankle came out of the situation unscathed. Actually it was the other ankle (the left ankle walys been the most dodgy ankle, the right one is the one I did in). So I shall take what I will from that run and move on.
I think I was just really tired or not 100% because last night I slept a full 11hrs away undisturbed. I went to bed just feeling awful, woke up feeling like I slept way too much. Had a 2hr bike ride, and to start with I felt grotty, but I climbed up Hackthorne and perked up and then headed to the kiwi before back down and a bit along the flat. I was feeling way better by the end.
That happens alot. When I feel kinda awful if I do a rather intense 5-10min I actually start to feel a whole lot better. It seems counter intuitive to me.
This afternoon, it was back to looking at more houses (I am pretty much over the damn search thing). We came across 2 we rather liked, that is rather surprising (considering in the last months we have seen about 1 we liked). 1 is in Halswell, hmm we expanded our search a bit further, not sure about Halswell though, seems a bit far away. But in reality its not really. The house was nice, was in 70s style, so a bit out dated but has potential. It already had a offer on it and we weren’t prepared to make a decision that quick, so might already be sold. The other was in Cashmere, yes in Cashmere and on the hill. Actually way up the hill by Victoria Park.
It may go way out of our price range, goes to Auction in a few weeks. But it has awesome potential, but would mean we would have to sell our current place rather than rent. But it would be so cool to live on the hill again. I swoon at the possibility. Though could you imagine, after a long ride, rather than starting with dyers Rd, I have to finish with it. I get good at climbing though
Oh no… I know it. That little thought just entered my head.
Nadia get off your ass and go do the run! Crap that little thought in my brain now… Get it out. Oh but its cold. I can do it tomorrow morning. Honest gov!
